World Cup: Iranians in Los Angeles divided on whether to cheer or jeer Iran

Los Angeles – From saffron-flavoured crystal pick parlours to kabob shops and Farsi-language bookstores, it does not instrumentality agelong to spot signs of the Iranian assemblage successful Los Angeles’s Westwood neighbourhood.

And with Iran’s pre-1979-revolution lion-and-sun emblem connected show crossed the area, alongside the occasional representation of absorption fig Reza Pahlavi, the community’s stance against the Iranian authorities besides becomes apparent.

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Several protests person already taken spot against the information of Iran – known arsenic Team Melli – successful the tournament.

But arsenic the Iranian nationalist squad prepares to footwear disconnected its World Cup successful Los Angeles connected Monday, concern proprietor Roozbeh Farahanipour says Iranian Americans’ presumption connected Team Melli is much nuanced than what the visuals whitethorn suggest.

“The assemblage is divided,” Farahanipour told Al Jazeera.

Some absorption activists presumption the squad arsenic an hold of the governing strategy successful Tehran, and are readying protests extracurricular the stadium successful Los Angeles.

But galore different Iranian Americans conscionable privation to ticker the crippled and are putting authorities aside.

Opposition to the Iranian authorities runs heavy successful Westwood. Known arsenic Tehrangeles, the country is simply a stronghold for supporters of Pahlavi, the lad of Iran’s past monarch who was toppled by the 1979 gyration that established the Islamic republic.

But portion anti-regime sentiment is prevalent, Farahanipour said radical present are not successful afloat statement connected proverbially booing the Iranian squad astatine the World Cup – oregon cheering for the US-Israel war against their homeland.

Farahanipour himself, a seasoned absorption activist, is against the war, but helium volition not beryllium supporting Team Melli.

“When this squad is going to spell to immoderate planetary field, to me, they correspond the regime, the strategy volition termination galore members of my friends and family,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Iran’s squad oregon regime’s team?

Sudi Farokhnia, an Iranian American assemblage organiser successful Los Angeles, had a antithetic view. She compared supporting the Iranian squad portion opposing the authorities to cheering for the United States arsenic a professional of President Donald Trump.

“I’m anti-Trump arsenic hell, but connected Friday, erstwhile Team USA was playing, I had my USA shirt, I had my USA headpiece on, I had a emblem around,” Farokhnia told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t cognize what are the governmental views of those who are successful the US squad … and astatine this constituent I don’t care. That’s a abstracted topic. What I attraction astir is the information that they’re representing the USA.”

When it comes to Iran’s information successful the World Cup, the Trump medication did not abstracted the squad from the authorities successful Tehran, however.

Team Melli was not allowed to enactment successful the US and had to acceptable up basal successful neighbouring Mexico, contempt having each of its radical signifier matches connected the different broadside of the borderline – 2 successful Los Angeles and 1 successful Seattle.

As the Iranian squad arrived successful the US connected Sunday for its opener against New Zealand a time later, the imaginable of renewed warring betwixt Tehran and Washington was subsiding arsenic the 2 sides agreed to a ceasefire deal.

The diplomatic breakthrough, however, has done small to trim the tensions astir Iran astatine the World Cup.

Some anti-Iranian-government activists are adamant astir making a amusement of opposing Team Melli with calls for protests wrong and extracurricular the stadium connected Monday.

The emblem issue

A immense constituent of contention volition beryllium the beingness of Iran’s pre-revolution emblem successful the stands.

Both the aged emblem and the new, Islamic republic 1 dwell of green, achromatic and reddish strips from apical to bottom, but the authoritative emblem features the sanction of God stylised successful the middle.

While FIFA has not fixed circumstantial guidance connected the lion-and-sun emblem, the shot governing assemblage has a prohibition connected governmental symbols that applies to that flag.

It is unclear however stewards volition woody with fans if they unfurl antigovernment banners successful the stadium.

Last week, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali warned that the squad would suspend play if “unofficial flags are brought oregon slogans against the nationalist squad are chanted successful the stadiums”.

Farahanipour, the concern owner, decried FIFA’s restrictions, saying US guarantees of free speech should trump the federation’s rules.

“FIFA should person power implicit lone the writer tract … successful the mediate of the stadium,” helium said. “FIFA don’t person a close to speech astir the extracurricular of the field, which is American soil.”

Sam Beykzadeh, who operates a publication store successful Westwood, besides denounced the FIFA ban.

“This is the Iranian flag,” Beykzadeh told Al Jazeera, pointing to the lion and prima supra his head.

He emphasised that helium views Team Melli arsenic typical of the Iranian government, not the people.

“That squad belongs to [the] regime. It’s not Iranian. [The] Iranian squad was those 45,000 radical 5 months agone the authorities killed retired connected the street,” helium said, referring to absorption accounts of the decease toll during antigovernment protests successful January.

Iranian authorities person put the figure astatine 3,117, including members of the information forces, blaming the deaths connected what it said were Israel-backed “rioters”.

Beykzadeh predicted unrest astatine Monday’s match.

“Monday is going to beryllium a large struggle implicit determination betwixt Iranians and betwixt that authorities … and their ain supporters they brought from different places implicit determination for warring with the people,” helium said.

US authorities look to person stepped up extortion for the Iranian team. Al Jazeera witnessed respective constabulary vehicles accompanying the Iranian squad autobus connected Monday.

A protestation adjacent SoFi stadium extracurricular Los Angeles calling connected FIFA to suspend oregon expel Iran from planetary football, June 14, 2026 [Arafat Barbakh/Reuters]

‘Players are getting each the hate’

For Farokhnia, the hostility towards the Iranian squad is unwarranted. She argued that aft the nonaccomplishment of the US-Israel war to dislodge the governing strategy successful Tehran, immoderate Iranian Americans are channelling their choler astatine Team Melli players.

“Where you consciousness helpless and you consciousness similar you don’t person immoderate powerfulness to marque a quality wherever it truly counts, you look for immoderate different venues wherever you tin insert yourself,” Farokhnia said.

“And it conscionable happens to beryllium that the FIFA crippled is happening, truthful the players are getting each the hate.”

Iranian caput manager Amir Ghalenoei told reporters connected Sunday that his squad wants to correspond each Iranians astatine location and overseas erstwhile asked astir anticipated protests by Iranian Americans.

“I americium precise blessed to beryllium representing the beardown and arrogant federation of Iran,” helium said.

“I anticipation that shot volition bring astir joyousness and enjoyment and volition bring person cultures and countries, and I anticipation the World Cup volition spell good contempt the travel problems we had.”

Iranian fans person besides faced a travel ban by the US.

Yasmine Taeb, an Iranian American civilian rights lawyer from Virginia, condemned the Trump administration’s attraction of the Iranian players and fans, saying it “runs antagonistic to the World Cup serving arsenic an open, planetary sporting event”.

Taeb besides slammed protests against the team.

“I deliberation it’s disgraceful, unfortunate and inappropriate. Sports bring radical of each backgrounds and beliefs together, and Team Melli’s information should surely beryllium seen arsenic a affirmative development,” Taeb told Al Jazeera.